Hermitage for Meditation

Amidst the quarantine time in Vietnam due to the pandemic, a group of Theravada Meditation’s practitioners wished to build their own hermitage to hide themselves from the feelings of suffocation in urban areas. They sought for a place where they can find tranquility, blend in with nature and concentrate on their spiritual practices.

The chosen location is a mountainous area in Lam Ha district, around 60km from Da Lat city. The construction site is situated on a hill which is originally an age-old coffee plantation, sitting alongside a stream and completely separated from residential neighborhoods.

The project consists of 3 blocks. Each block has its own kitchen and dining area, a common meditation space with a Buddha statue inside, as well as private areas for individual resting and practicing. To minimize disrupting each other during meditation, the aforementioned functions are designed as separated blocks that are only connected by a central terrace.

Each of these blocks is erected using pre-engineered steel frames, finished with transparent twin-wall polycarbonate sheets, that help not only ensure insulation but more importantly, lighting up the entire project when night falls, just like flower garlands and coloured lanterns found in the middle of the woods.